Berkeley Sued Over Ann Coulter Event

The University of California, Berkeley, was sued Monday by Young America's Foundation and Berkeley College Republicans. The suit charges the university with violating the free speech rights of student members of the group who invited Ann Coulter, the controversial conservative author, to speak. The university has said she can speak next week but not this week -- a move that Berkeley says is based on security concerns, but that the student groups say is due to Coulter's views.

The university issued this statement in response to the suit: "The University of California welcomes speakers of all political viewpoints and is committed to providing a forum to enable Ann Coulter to speak on the Berkeley campus. The allegation contained in the complaint filed by Young America’s Foundation that Ms. Coulter is being prohibited from speaking because of her conservative views is untrue. As the complaint itself notes, Young America’s Foundation has sponsored many other speaking events at UC Berkeley in past years, including that of conservative political commentator and author Ben Shapiro, and the organization’s efforts have led many notable conservatives to share their viewpoints with students and the public on campus. UC Berkeley has been working to accommodate a mutually agreeable time for Ms. Coulter’s visit -- which has not yet been scheduled -- and remains committed to doing so. The campus seeks to ensure that all members of the Berkeley and larger community -- including Ms. Coulter herself -- remain safe during such an event."